WhatsApp users will no longer be able to opt out of sharing their private data with Facebook as users have started receiving a pop-up asking them to agree to the new terms of use or lose access to their account.
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The new move is seen as a breach of Facebook and WhatsApp's original promise to users when Facebook acquired the popular app back in 2014 that their data would remain private, and not be shared with Facebook.
WhatsApp users are receiving a no-skip notice informing them about the app's updated terms of service and privacy policy detailing how WhatsApp is partnering with Facebook to offer deep integrations across all of the Facebook-owned products.
The mandatory changes are set to take effect on February 8, 2021 and if users don’t accept the new privacy policy before that, they will no longer be able to use the service. Data sharing with Facebook, businesses on the platform and other third-party services is one of the multiple changes to the more expansive updated privacy policy.
Among these changes, your data will now be used to show personalized ads under the new data-sharing policy. This is expected to make the app more of an ad-driven product by creating better ways to personalize ads.
In the previous policy announced in July 2020, WhatsApp granted users 30 days to update their account settings and opt out of sharing their data with Facebook. The new policy appears to be taking away this choice.
As per WhatsApp’s FAQs, the data to be shared across the Facebook-owned companies includes:
- Account information (such as phone numbers)
- Service-related information
- Transaction data, if users use WhatsApp Pay or purchase products through it
- Information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using WhatsApp
- Mobile device information
- IP address
- Other ‘Information We Collect’ or obtained “upon notice to you or based on your consent”
The new policy is widely seen as a U-Turn from WhatsApp's promise in 2014 "setting the record straight" "about what our future partnership would mean for WhatsApp users’ data and privacy".
That time privacy organizations feared the personal information that could be shared between two companies. Facebook had claimed for years that it protects user privacy and has never planned to change the way it handled data since its inception.
"Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA, and we built WhatsApp around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible: You don't have to give us your name and we don't ask for your email address."
Now, a new update is raising eyebrows and may likely raise the attention of government regulators which are well aware that big data can be used by the social media giant to stifle competition.
The new changes are in line with Facebook's ambitious goal of providing a more consistent user experience across all of Facebook's services. While these changes will help deliver more personalized services, they also pose privacy concerns.
